Combined turn-table and jack for street-cars



(NoModl.) y y J. H. 8v J. G. GOULD.

COMBINED TURN TABLBAND JACK POR STREET GARS.

No.260,191. Patented June 27, 1882.

N. PETERS. Phawuuwgnphu. wnmngfm n. c.

UNITED VSTATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN H. GULD AND JAMES G. GOULD, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

COMBINED TURN-TABLE AND JACK FOR STREET-CARS.

SPECIFICATION forming part `of Letters Patent No. 260,191, dated June 27, 1882.

Application filed May 22, 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN H. GOULD and J AMES G. GOULD, citizens of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented a Combined Turn-Table and Jack for Street-Cars, of which the following is a specication.

Ourinveution consists of certain mechanism, described hereinafter, whereby a street-car can be elevated above" the track until' its wheels are free from the rails, then turned, and finally lowered so that its wheels shall be placed under the control of another track, the object of our invention being to permit a street-car whichis prevented by an obstruction from pursuing its usual course tobe'readily turned to another track. Y

' In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a section of part of a street-car with our improved turntable and jack in their elevated condition; Fig. 2, the same with the device lowered; Fig. 3, a vertical section on the line 2, and Fig. 4 a vertical section on the line To the under side of the body A of a streetcar, and midway between its opposite ends, is secured a transverse strip, B, of Wood; or it may bc of metal suitably shaped; and this strip is connected to a platform, D, by four pairs of links. Thus there is one pair of links, E, and an opposite pair of links, E', inclined in one direction, and two pairs of links, G G', inclined in the opposite direction.

It will not be necessary to describe more than one set of links, as both sets are precisely alike. The two upper links E and E are hinged at Ltheir upper ends to the strip B and at their lower ends to a cross-bar, H, and the upper ends of the lower links E E arehinged to the same cross-bar and at their lower ends to the platform D. The two pairs of links thus form twoknee-joints connected together by the cross-bar H, and two similar knee-joints are formed by the similar links, G G'.

A screw-shaft, I, has one thread adapted to an internal thread in the cross-bar H, appertaining to the links E E', and another thread adapted to an internal thread in the cross-bar H', appertaiuing to the links G G', one thread of the screw-shaft being right-handed and the other left-handed, so that on turning the shaft in one direction the car will be lowered, as in Fig. 1, and on turning it in the opposite direction the car will be raised, as shown in Fig. 2, for the shaft is prevented from moving longitudinally by collars a a, one on each side of a hanger, J, secured to the strip B or to the under side of the car body, the shaft passing through a vertically-elongated slot, b, in the said hanger.

The platt'ormD is pivoted at its center to a base, K, as shown in Fig. 4. In the present instance a pivot-pin, m, is secured to the base, and is adapted to a metal socket, n, let into and secured to the platform D, the pin being provided with a nut or collar, p, so that on raising the platform it must be followed by the base. Suitable anti-friction rollers, x, are interposed between the base and platform, so as to facilitate the turning of said platform on the base.

Under ordinary circumstances, when there are no obstructions on the track, the above-de scribed mechanism is elevated, as shown in Fig. .1; but when, in case of a fire or other accident causing obstructions on the track, it is desirable to transfer the car to another track intersecting that which it is traversing, the screw-shaf't is so turned as to lower the mechanism, the base K iirst coming in contact with the ground, and on continuing to turn the shaft the carwill be elevated until the Han ges of the wheels are clear of the rails, when the entire car, with the mechanism attached to the same, can be turned on the baseK until the wheels coincide with the rails ot the intersecting track which the car has to traverse, after which it may be lowered and the mechanism elevated above the ground, the car being thus at liberty to pursue its course.

Instead of the arrangement shown, the car may be pivoted to the strip B, in which case the base K may be dispensed with; but in this case the weight of the lifting-jack would have to be borne by the pivot-pin; hence the arrangement shown is preferred.

We claimV asl our' invention- 1. The combination, with a street-car, of a combined turn-table and jack carried by said car, as set forth.

2. The within-described turn-table and jack for street-cars, the same comprising the two sets of links, the operating screw-shaft, a strip, B, a platform, D, and a base' to which the platform is pivoted, as set forth.

3. A street-ear in which the following elements are combined, namely: a base, K, a platform pivoted to the base, and mechanism whereby the said platform and base are suspended from the under side of the ear, and Whereb5l they can be raised and lowered, substantially as set forth.

4. The combination of the strip B, secured to the under side of the ear, a platform, D, pivoted to a base, the system of links forming the 

